Galeniss- Always Meant for Each Other
by Kitty-aka-Fanqueen
Summary: This is a Galeniss fan-fiction. Katniss married Peeta but was he the right choice for her? What if they were never meant for each other? What if the guy that was meant for her was someone she had left behind a long time ago.?
1. Chapter 1

"Then why are you still here?" I ask him trying to keep my voice in control.

We are fighting again. Nowadays, it seems to be the only thing we do. The boy I fell for, no longer seemed to be there. He has healed from the scars left by the Capitol still I can't see the Peeta I love.

"Search me!" Peeta replies. I can see him trying to keep back tears, trying to control his voice so it doesn't show the inner pain he must be feeling, that I was feeling as well.

"Go away then!"

He went away. Not far, just by the house next to ours, where I used to live but it seems like he is million miles away and I will never reach him.

As soon as I hear the front door slamming, implying Peeta has gone, I break down into tears. I keep asking myself "What happened?" but there is no answer.

...***...***...

I wake up in the middle of the night, sweating. I had this recurring nightmare that Prim is trying to tell me something, for which she calls me an idiot but I can't understand why. And before she can tell me again, she bursts and all I see is a duck swimming away in a river.

I wish Peeta was here. He would hold me in his arms and everything will be alright.

At least, I hope that's still the case. He hasn't held me for months. We can hardly look at each other now without fighting.

I miss the times when I could tell Peeta anything and his solution would be cake.

And then tears start flowing again when I start remembering all the times he had held me in his arms, the time when he had tried to teach me how to bake cake and the kitchen had to be renovated after that, all those times that I took for granted that now pierce my heart like a knife.

"It was supposed to be forever!" I shout into the night.

...***...***...

I wake up in the morning with someone knocking on my door.

"Peeta, go open it." I say instinctively before remembering he isn't here. Again, the memories hit me and all I want to do is crawl into a ball and cry.

"Go away!" I tell whoever is at the door.

The knocks are more insistent this time.

Maybe it is Peeta. Maybe he has come to apologize and to make everything right.

I run to open it. It isn't Peeta.

It is Haymitch. The worst kind of Haymitch- a sober one.

"So what happened this time, sweetheart?" he asks.

"Personal marital dispute. Doesn't concern everyone." I reply icily. I still am not over my disappointment that it isn't Peeta.

"Blah, blah, blah. I heard you fighting last night and today I wake up and see Peeta living in a different house."

"How did you…."

"Saw him leaving your old house while going to the bakery. He couldn't have gone there for sentimental purposes."

"The fight last night was pretty bad."

"No, seriously?" Haymitch replies sarcastically.

"I don't want to talk about this now. I'm going."

"Where?"

"Maybe hunting. I haven't yet made up my mind where, just away from here for a while."

...***...***...

I do go hunting if that's what one will call it. I didn't hunt animals, my heart wasn't in it. I just gathered some greens and came back when it started going dark. I wanted to avoid running into Peeta who must also be returning from his bakery now so I decided to go from the longer way instead of the shortcut that ran near Peeta's bakery.

But of course, I ran into him at the gate, what once proclaimed "Victor's Village"

"Katniss….."

My heart skips a beat. Maybe there is still a chance.

"What happened? To us?" I ask him before I can stop. The same questions must be going through his head as well. What happened to us? How did we get here?

He opens his mouth to say something. Then stops.

"Maybe we should have this talk inside." He finally says.

I just shrug and don't say anything because I'm scared that I won't be able to stop the tears that are threatening to come if I open my mouth.

Once we get inside our house, we just look at each other, awkwardly. What can you say to one another that will make up for all those of fighting?

"I miss you." I finally say.

He must know what I mean. That I miss us when we were happy together, when we were an inseparable pair, the invincible team and most of all the best of friends.

"I miss you too."

"Then why can't we stop?"

"Maybe we don't miss it enough?" he says it like a question because he wants me to contradict him, to say he's wrong. But I can't seem to open my mouth to do just that. Because I know saying he is wrong will be a lie but I can't say he is right because it will hurt. Because I know however much I miss him, I can't seem to get over our fights. I can't seem to stop saying things that I know will hurt him just like he can't help saying things that tears me.

"How did this happen?" I ask him. How did I stop missing him enough to forget anything, forgive anything?

"I wish I knew, Katniss so I could make whatever was wrong, right. But I don't. I don't." And now I can see the tears in his eyes threatening to spill anytime.

I turn my face away because I can't look at him anymore without crying.

"Look at me, Katniss. Don't turn your face away."

I look at him and now I can't stop the tears. And seeing my tears, he too cannot hold his back any longer.

And then I don't who does it first, but before I know it, we're kissing. But what breaks my heart even more is that the kiss no longer affects me the way it used to. The way it used to fill me and make butterflies flutter in my stomach.

And I know Peeta feels the same because he pulls away. We both are a crying mess. None of us can think of something to say.

"Do you….." Peeta starts but then stops.

"What?"

"Do you think it's over?"

"I don't want it to be."

"Can't have everything we want, right?" he tries to joke. I try to laugh but the sound that comes out is like I'm being choked. Because I'm choking. Choking on my tears, on the memories. I'm drowning.

"What should we do? To make everything right?" I ask him desperately because I'm now ready to do anything to get us back.

"I don't know. Should we…"

"What?"

"Take a break from each other? Maybe if we give each other space, we'll be able to figure it out on our own"

"We are married. We have been married for 7 years. We shouldn't just take a break from each other."

"Then what do you suggest, Katniss. What should we do? Nothing we do seems to make it right, nothing we say makes it right. THEN WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST KATNISS?" Peeta yells.

I realize maybe he's right. Maybe, just maybe, that's what we need now. And then I point out something which might make taking a break a bit difficult.

"We live in the same house, Peeta. Even if one us move next doors, it still will be difficult because however hard we try, we'll see each other almost every day! What do you suggest we do about that?"

"I don't know. Maybe I can take that temporary job in District 1 for a while."

That is a sacrifice on Peeta's part because I know he hated the idea of taking the job when he was first offered it. He just couldn't stand the owner of the bakery who wanted to have Peeta on his shop for a while.

"Or I could join my mother in District 8 for a while."

"Katniss, it's alright. I know you don't want to go anywhere. You are not especially fond of that district."

"No, it's alright. Plus, at least I have someone I know there. It won't be so bad."

He looks at me to judge whether I'm really okay with that.

"Fine. I guess."

And I turn to go to my room to pack and call my mother to tell her about my unexpected visit.

But then I remember something.

"How long? How long is the break?"

"A week? A month? I don't know. I guess as long as it takes."

"Two months." I say because I can't stand the idea of not knowing how long it might take us to heal. Time frame will give me something to begin dealing with.

"Four months." He replies. And I open my mouth to argue but then I check myself. We are taking this break to help us, not destroy us even more.

"Four months."

...***...***...

Four days later I'm on my mom's doorstep. She opens the door and straightaway hugs me.

"Oh my, Katniss. I'm so sorry." She begins.

"It's alright."

"Just stay long as you want. Even if it's a year."

"Mom, it's just 4 months. By that time, we would have definitely figured everything out."

"As you say, Katniss." I get the feeling she doesn't really believe me but I let it slide. I don't have it in me to fight anymore.

...***...***...

I'll post the next chapter when I get at least two honest comments.

And I know Katniss seems attached to Peeta now. They were married for 7 years according to don't just get up and leave. It's a slow process to leave someone who you used to be so close to.

I have wrote this after the last chapter of Mockingjay but before the prologue (which won't happen anyway).


	2. Chapter 2

I look at the calendar again. It's been two weeks since I joined my mother. My days go by both, quickly and slowly.

Quickly, because when my mother goes to work in the hospital, I try to keep the house clean and do whatever it takes to be not free. I even went to the local school once, as a guest musician to try to teach them a few of District 12's songs. And slowly, because when I'm alone with nothing to do and take my mind off, all I can do is think of Peeta and have to stop myself from catching the first train to District 12 and going back to Peeta.

_Ring! Ring!_

I look up from my work. I was going to go back to the school tomorrow to again teach them songs and I was readying some notes.

The phone ringing surprised me. Not because I hadn't heard it before but because I hadn't heard it ringing before in my mother's house in the two weeks I had been here.

I pick up the cell phone and just as I'm about to say Hello, I hear Effie's voice saying, "Is Katniss here?"

"This is Katniss, Effie."

"Oh, you recognize me."

"Of course, I do."

"Glad to know. I thought you'd forgotten about me."

I felt a little guilty at that. I hadn't talked to Effie in months.

"I'm sorry. Just busy."

"Yeah, breaking up with Peeta does tend to take up a lot of time."

"We are taking a break, not breaking up, Effie. We are married. We don't just break up."

"Peeta said the same thing."

"That's because it is true."

"Alright, alright."

"By the way, how did you get this number?"

"I called your home and Peeta said you weren't there. When I asked when you will be back, he said something about four months. I called Haymitch to know what's going on, since no married couple is apart for four months without any reason and he told me all about it and I got your mother's number from him." Effie said this all in one go without any break.

"Oh."

"Four months is really too long, you know."

At that, I really considered hanging up the phone or yelling at Effie that I knew that and that four months was not my idea. That if I could, I would have had reduced it.

Instead, I just said, "It's long enough for us to have our space and work out whatever is the problem."

"Right." Effie didn't sound convinced.

"I have to go, Effie. I have a lot of work." And then I hang up.

That wasn't true about me having a lot of work. I just didn't want to go on talking to Effie convincing her we were doing the right thing when I wasn't convinced myself.

"So how did it go?" my mother asked me at dinner. I had gone to the school again.

"It was good. The kids are all so eager to learn about music."

"Nice to hear that."

There is silence as we both eat our food.

"What?" I ask because I notice her expression which says she wants to say something but dare not.

"It's about you and Peeta."

"What about us?"

"How is it going?"

"Good."

"Have you talked to him?"

"Kinda misses the point if I talk to him."

"Katniss, when you're in love, love doesn't have to make a point. It's just doing whatever your heart wants to do. It is never necessarily the reasonable thing."

"So what are you saying? That just because we don't talk, we're not in love? Maybe even our hearts are telling us to take a break, have you ever thought that?"

"That's not what I meant, Katniss. I meant, that if your heart tells you to call him, call him. Don't be reasonable. That's the obvious interpretation. Notice how you interpreted it like that, not how normal people would have."

"Now, what are you trying to say?"

"This time I'm sure you know exactly what I'm saying." Saying this, my mother got up and picked up her empty plate and went away. Probably to the kitchen to put her dish in and wash it or do something else.

I didn't care. I was angry at what she had just implied. I wanted to go up to her and shout at her that I still loved Peeta and she really was stupid if that's what she thought.

I heard a door being opened and closed upstairs. She had went to her bedroom, to have a good night's sleep most probably after destroying mine.

...***...***...

Two days since my mother's little talk, I was still angry at her. I could hardly talk to her without remembering what she had said.

And she didn't make it any easy. She refused to acknowledge she had said anything wrong.

This is it. I'm calling Peeta to prove her wrong. That we are still very much in love.

But when I dial his number, our number, I correct myself. It's still very much my home. When I dial _our number, _I get nervous thinking what would I say. Today it's Saturday and I know he will be home because he always closes his bakery on Saturday.

Just as I'm thinking it's a bad idea and am going to hang up, Peeta picks it up.

"Mellark residence." I hear him saying.

"Hey, it's Katniss."

"Katniss? I thought we were on a break."

"I know. I just wanted to talk to you."

"About?"

"I don't know."

"Okay."

An awkward silence follows.

"I miss you." I finally say.

"I miss you too."

Again, silence.

"Katniss…" he says like he wants to ask something.

"This break thing. Do you think it's a good idea?" he finally asks.

I'm tempted to say it's the worst idea ever. But I think about it. Sure, I missed him and I wanted to be back with him, these few weeks away from him was good for me.

"Well, we are not fighting anymore. And this must be the longest conversation we have had in months without us trying or feeling the need to tear each other apart."

"Hmm. Well it was my idea so of course it will be good." He jokes.

And I smile to finally get a glimpse of the old Peeta who could make me smile.

"Getting a big-head, are we?"

"Well, you're not around and someone has to have a big head here."

I chuckle and I can hear him chuckling over the phone as well. Who knew that this could have been such a really good idea. Thanks, mom.

"I'm glad you called."

"Me too. I should have called you sooner."

"Well, it was good talking to you." He says and I know he's going to say goodbye and hang up.

And surprisingly, I don't try to talk more with him. I'm glad to say goodbye.

This isn't good, right? I should be sad and trying to keep him talking and not want to hang up ever.

I tell myself it's because I know there will be an awkward silence if we keep trying to talk. But instead of pushing my worry aside, it increases it. When did Peeta and I stopped having things to talk about?

Hiding the storm of worry that was building inside me, all I say is "Same here. Till next time. Bye." And I hang up.

...***...***...

"I called Peeta today." I tell my mother over dinner.

"How did it go?" my mother asks.

"It went great." I omit the fact that it was short and that we really didn't talk that long.

"Good." is all she says.

"Good? That's all you can say?"

"What else do you want me to say?"

"That you were wrong. That Peeta and I are still in love and you shouldn't have ever doubted it."

"I never doubted it. And did you just call Peeta to prove me wrong? Or was it because you wanted to?"

"I wanted to. But it still proves you wrong."

"Katniss, why do you care whether I think you're in love with Peeta or not? Shouldn't the only person who should be convinced is you? And of course, Peeta?"

"I care because you're my mother. And I do believe it we're still in love. I just wanted to tell you you're wrong."

"And you told me. Good."

"Good." I reply. Why did my mother not believe it that I believed.

_Because you don't. _A small voice inside me said. I drove the thought away.

...***...***...

Two comments till the next chapter. Hope you loved it.


	3. Chapter 3

Three months pass since the day I came to my mother's and all Peeta and I converse through is phone calls each shorter than the last.

I can still feel the awkward silence of our last conversation which didn't last more than two minutes because we had nothing to say. I am scared that when I finally go back, this silence will be all that there is.

My mother, of course, makes no comments. Though my mother has since kept quiet, I am suddenly doubting what Peeta and I had more and more. What if the person he fell in love had changed or worse he had mistaken her for something she never was. The doubts were killing her.

I can't stand it anymore. I have to get my mind off it. I need a change of scenery to take my mind off. But where could I go?

Just then, I hear the phone ring.

I rush to answer it. It couldn't be Peeta. He had called just a week ago and after that huge silence, I didn't expect him to call so soon.

"Everdeen residence." I say into the phone.

"I didn't know it was so serious that you had already dropped Mellark from your name and gone back to Everdeen." Johanna's voice came over the phone.

Great, just great. Even she knew.

"It's my mother's house. That's how I will answer the phone at her house."

"So you crawled back to your mother's at a little sign of trouble."

I took a deep breath. Johanna could be a pain in these situations.

"I went to my mother to think things through and to give Peeta time as well."

"Haymitch said something about a break. Who's fabulous idea was that?"

"Peeta."

"I always thought he had a good heart but rotten brain."

"Hey, that's my husband you're talking about." my voice hitched a little on the word husband but Johanna didn't notice it.

"Fine. I won't talk about him that way" and in a small voice she added "in front of you."

"You do know that I heard that, right?"

"That was the point."

"Then why the small voice?" I ask confused.

"So you know my intentions clearly while I still pretend that I didn't want you to know them when I really don't care."

"And you said Peeta had a rotten brain."

"Yeah, yeah. So why am I finding about this now? How long have you been living with your mum?"

"Three months."

"Three months? Did you want me to chop your mouth off? Because you really don't seem to be using it. You never bothered to call me in three months and tell me about this?"

"I wanted to keep it quiet and not tell everyone."

"I'm everyone? Not your dear friend Johanna who is a lot like a big sister?"

"Now, you're being over-dramatic."

"Over-dramatic my ass. You can't call me to tell something so important and still except me to be normal. I want to kill you right now. And don't think for one moment I'm exaggerating."

"How dare I think of something so preposterous?" I say with sarcasm.

"I can hear the sarcasm."

"That's the point."

"And now you're just copying me."

I change the topic.

"Who spilled the beans about our break?"

"Haymitch. I called your house and no one picked it up. So, I called Haymitch to know where you both were and when will you be back."

"Ahh, the traitor."

"Shut up. So, what are your plans now?"

"Well, three months are up, only a month's left till the break is over. I was thinking of going sightseeing and going to 5. I haven't ever gone there."

"What about 7? You haven't been here for a long while now."

"I guess I could visit you too."

"You guess? You better come here and stay for awhile. I don't bite, you know. Alright, I bite but not much."

"Fine, I'll come."

"It will be like when we shared the dormitory in 13. Except better, because I don't have to see your face first thing in the morning because you'll be in an another room."

"I can just feel the love." I reply.

...***...***...

A week later I'm in District 7. Johanna's house is nice. Of course since her house is in what was supposed be Victor's village, it is big as well.

"You know, I visited Annie last month." she says.

"How is she?"

"Good. And tired. Jr. makes sure that she's always up on her feet. Her aunt lives with her so it's not that bad."

I knew what she was talking about. When she gets her episode, her aunt takes care of her and her son. Peeta who has always been on good terms with Annie told me long time ago. Annie is his friend like Johanna is mine.

"How is Jr.? Does he still try to catch fish with his hands?"

"Nah, he now likes to use his trident to catch them. Too bad because his tridents keeps breaking as they are made of plastic."

"That means I know what to get him next month on his birthday. A pack of plastic tridents. Not real because they're dangerous and shouldn't be given to boys on their eleventh birthday."

"Don't even think about it. I have already decided it as my gift."

"Well, then I have to think more. Man, how about that fisherman cap he always wanted?"

"He already has one."

And the rest of our evening went with us discussing what could be a good gift.

...***...***...

"Wake up, lazy bum!" Johanna called while knocking on my door.

"What do you want?" I called out.

"For you to get up. You have lazed around enough."

"Come on, just let me sleep today." I replied and snuggled back into my sheets.

5 seconds later Johanna is barging into my room and forcefully taking my sheets away.

"What the?"

"I didn't invite you here so you could laze around."

I just glare at her through my sleepy eyes.

"Stop staring. I know I'm drop dead gorgeous." She says as she goes back out.

"Asshole."

"Heard that."

...***...***...

"So why did you wake me up so early?" I ask her over breakfast once I have taken a bath and gotten ready.

"I wanted to show you around the District. And what I do for work. I know you wanted to see because you asked a long time ago."

I groaned.

"I'm no longer curious."

"Too bad. Because you're coming with me."

...***...***...

The whole day went with her showing me around. It was a nice district. She showed me where the forest where people used to cut trees, before, was (She didn't have to say that by before she meant before the rebellion. All of us, me, Haymitch, Johanna, Effie, etc, had an unspoken agreement not to talk about it.) Where her old house was.

She showed me around the new places, all the favourite tourist spots. She told me how from the Lumber district it had now become more of an Environment caring district.

"No one is allowed to cut trees now without permission. And if you cut them, then your head is mounted on a pike and displayed in the middle of the District as an example."

"Really?" I ask not believing a word.

"No. He's just given a hefty fine or few weeks in jail or both depending on his previous record. But think how much better the previous punishment would have been."

"So what' your work?" I ask changing the subject. Because I really didn't want to hear more about heads on a spike.

"My work is making sure that people who have permission to cut woods are the only who cut them. And those with permission don't cut extra. Which includes a lot of running behind trespassers who enter it. And telling people to take a hike when they want to go into it for adventurous purposes."

I could see grumpy Johanna shouting after people to 'Take a Hike'

"What about hunting? That's forbidden as well?"

"In these forests only. But you can't animals in here anyway because they are too small to really bother to hunt and some of the species here are rare and exotic to 7. If you want to hunt, then you have to go to the forest on the opposite side of 7. It's more open and there is no patrol needed to check woodcutters as the trees there are too tall and bothersome to cut down properly. Cutting them will be more expensive than any benefit they will give."

"I'll keep that in my mind."

We return to her house at night. I was really tired and looking forward to going to bed.

The phone started ringing and Johanna went to take it.

"Johanna here."

There was a pause. Then, "Cheese Buns! How are you?"

I stopped. It was Peeta. Cheese Buns was Johanna's name for Peeta.

"So you have no interest in talking to me? It's alright, it's not like we are friends." Johanna said and made a fake choking sound.

Turning to me she said, "Cheese Buns wants to talk to you."

I took the phone from her.

"Hello?" I said uncertainly into the phone.

"Hey." He replied just as uncertainly.

"So….."

"I just wanted to talk to you."

"You are now."

"Yeah, I am."

"Good."

"Great."

I turn away from Johanna who seemed to be amused hearing my side of the conversation.

"So how are you doing?"

"Great. The business is booming. Except Effie is here trying to make Haymitch quit drinking which is making him furious. So it's not that great waking up in the middle of the night thinking you have a thief in your house only to realize it's Haymitch looking for his drinks that Effie has hidden. And I have no idea how he gets in."

And to prove Peeta's point, I heard someone shouting in the background, "Peeta please tell me Effie has hid it here."

"No. And how the hell did you get in? I made sure the door was locked." Peeta's voice yelled back at him.

"You're lying. I know she hid it here."

"If she had, I would have given it to you already. I'm half mad as it is. You have no idea how much I really want Effie to give up her misguided mission."

There was some scuffling and then a door banged shut.

"That's how it is about everyday now." Peeta says getting back on the phone.

I am laughing.

"Don't laugh. Do you have any idea how annoying it is to suffer that everyday?"

"Yes, that's why I'm laughing. Since I don't have to go through that everyday, I can see the funny side in it."

"Shut up."

I takw five deep breaths to calm myself.

"So it's not even a month left." I say going to a serious topic.

"Yeah."

He doesn't sound enthusiastic.

"You sound happy about that." I say sarcatiscally.

"Like you are. I did hear the way you said it's not even a month left. If you were excited, I would have heard you jumping up and down."

"I'm not a kid, you know. I don't jump up and down every time I'm excited."

"No, you don't. But you aren't excited anyway."

It was true. I hadn't thought about going back since the last time we had talked which was 3 weeks ago. Which was weird because at first, going back was the only thing that was on my mind.

"So we're both not happy about it. What do we do?"

"I don't know. But let's not have this conversation on the phone. We'll talk when we're together again."

"Fine."

"Fine."

And I hang up. Just when I thought the anger had faded away and we were back to being good, this happens.

...***...***...

I'm currently working on the next chapter. But do comment in the meanwhile. Your comments motivate me want to write faster to share it with you as soon as possible.

And Gale is coming very soon. By soon, I mean, maybe not in the next chapter but still very soon.

So get commenting. If you like it, then start following it and do make it your favorite.


	4. Chapter 4

_I am back, _I think to myself standing at the station of District 12.

_Where is he? _I ask myself searching for him in the crowd.

"Hey there." I hear a voice behind. I turn around to see Peeta.

"Hey." I reply not knowing what else to say.

He takes my bag and turns around to go to the exit. I follow him and together we exit the station.

***…***…***

"So you're back."

"Yes. I'm back." I try to look excited but fail.

"Why aren't we happy about this?" he blurts out. Good to know he is thinking the same.

"I guess four months away has made things awkward. Maybe it will take a little while for us to adjust to it?"

"Are you saying this or asking me?"

"I don't know. I'm just as confused as you are."

"Then that means it was a question."

"Alright, maybe it was. No need to make a big deal out of it."

"I didn't. I just asked you whether it wasn't a question or not."

"I was confused. Maybe it was a suggestion and I wanted your opinion on it."

"Great. No, it's really great. We take four months to clear our heads and you still are confused."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you should have tried a little bit more instead of having fun."

That comment stung. It was as if he was saying I didn't want to save us and hadn't tried.

"I was confused because of you. Because I didn't know what to say. And you know, words haven't been my strongest suit. It was yours. So why do you expect me to speak first? Why don't YOU try to clear out this awkwardness? Why don't you try a little harder instead of blaming me for everything?"

"I DID TRY! I THOUGHT ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY! EVERY SINGLE DAY! THE ONLY THING I THOUGHT WAS TO MAKE IT RIGHT!"

"WELL YOU DID A TERRIBLE JOB! BECAUSE AS FAR AS I KNOW, SHOUTING AT ME, FIGHTING WITH ME ISN'T A WAY TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT!"

"WELL, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ALRIGHT IF YOU ALSO MADE AN EFFORT. BUT YOU WERE TOO DAMN BUSY GOSSIPING WITH YOUR MOTHER AND JOHANNA."

"HOW DARE YOU? HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT I DIDN'T WANT THIS ENOUGH? MAYBE IF YOU TAKE YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR BREAD YOU'LL SEE YOU AREN'T THE ONLY ONE WHO LOVES. THE ONLY ONE WHO HURTS."

"I AGREE. BUT I DOUBT THE OTHER ONE IS YOU."

I refused to answer that. I turned around and marched to our room upstairs. On the stairs, I heard Peeta's frustrated cry. He wasn't the only one who was frustrated. Even I wanted to tear something out.

How could this happen? Everything was supposed to be alright now.

I heard the front door slam. Probably Peeta going out.

So much for a happy reunion. Surprisingly, this time tears didn't come. I just sat in our room looking out the window.

***…***…***

"So the break idea? Not so good, right?" Peeta says. We had both calmed down after yesterdays fight.

"You think?" I ask sarcastically.

"Don't. Let's not fight for a while."

I bite back a response. We really need to work things out without screaming our heads off at each other.

"So what now?" I ask.

"I don't know. I'm all out of ideas. Anything up your sleeve?"

"No, I'm just as stumped as you."

"I don't think more break could help us."

"No, it won't."

We sat quietly for awhile, thinking hard about what can help us now. I tried to look anywhere but at him.

"How did this happen?" he asks quietly.

I keep my mouth shut. This isn't the time to fight, I tell myself. But my face gives me away.

"You have a theory don't you?" he asks me.

"It's just that after the last time we talked on the phone, I started thinking of this another way. Before I thought of it only as something that went wrong along the way and we could fix it. But then…." I trail of afraid to finish.

"Then you started thinking that maybe nothing went wrong. Maybe something was wrong from the beginning but we were just too blind to see it?"

I finally meet his eyes. I start to ask him how he knows this before realizing he knows this because he thought of the same thing.

"What do you think was wrong?" I ask him instead.

"Maybe I was never in love. At least, not in the way I thought I was."

I nod. I add "The reason we even got together was the Games, because after that nobody here, except Haymitch could understand us. And Haymitch hadn't been responsible for starting a revolution so that counts out even him."

"And what I loved about you was someone not you. She was someone I imagined you to be."

"What does that mean?"

"It means the first time I ever talked to you was after being reaped. I had an image of you in my mind that was very different than who you really were because I had watched you only from afar. I had never talked to you before. And then though I did realize you were different, I was happy to get the mystical girl I had a crush on forever to realize the crush I had was on a different girl, a girl who existed only in my mind, I didn't realize I never fell in love with who you really were."

"So basically we never really loved each other. We just loved the idea of us being together."

"I can't say that. I did love you. Actually I still do love you. But not in the way I should. Not in the way I want."

I understand that. I did love Peeta and I cared about him but not in the way one loves the one they marry.

"It's over?" I ask him.

"It is."

This time we don't cry or shed tears. I'm sure we'll cry later but right now everything's calm, or maybe that's numbness.

"Do you think we'll reach the point of ever being friends?" I ask again.

"Maybe. But not right now."

"Not right now." I repeat.

We stand looking at each other awkwardly. What are you supposed to do when your marriage ends?

"Umm, I'll sleep in the guest bedroom tonight and tomorrow we can figure out the next step. Where we'll go from here."

"Sounds good."

...***...***...

I move out and join my mother in District 8 two days later and the divorce proceedings are put in motion. I apply to various job positions in other districts as a teacher, a hunter, anything that I think I can do.

I get a job offer to teach archery in a school in District 5. I accept with no hesitation.

I gather all my things from my mother's house and get ready to move to District 5.

...***...***...

Finally, I'm in 5. A promise of a new start. New beginnings.

I bump into someone at the train station. I mutter a hurried apology and continue on my own way. But then I hear his voice. The voice I hadn't heard for so many years. He says only one word. But it's still enough to recognize him because no one calls me that. And it's the voice that I spent many years hearing. Voice of my hunting partner, my best friend, the guy who made the bomb that killed my sister.

"Katnip?" I hear Gale say.

...***...***...

**Sorry for updating it after such a long time. I was suffering from a writer's block. But thankfully, I think it's over now. But since exams are on the way, it might still get a little delayed. My exams finish on 5 december and I'll start working on the nextchapter then so expect a new one by December 10. But I will only update if I get review. I need to know people are reading and want to read more of this story. And I promise even if there is only one person who wants to read this, I'll update it for that one person. **

**And now for the question, why introduce Gale so late? I didn't want to answer that because well, I thought telling you when Gale comes will warn you to expect Gale and I wanted it to be a little unexpected. And plus, I didn't know how to answer it properly before. So here's my reason. I wanted Katniss to let go, or be at least on the verge of letting go, Peeta. Otherwise, it will be the love triangle all over again which would make things a little repetitive. I couldn't show that Katniss is already over Peeta because, though I'm a Galeniss shipper, I think Peeta was a good guy too, just not good for Katniss. And Katniss did after all did care about Peeta, so showing him as nothing to Katniss, wouldn't make sense. He was an important guy in Katniss' life so I wanted Katniss to let Peeta go before starting the Galeniss part. And now I think, since Katniss has started to let Peeta go, it's time for Gale to enter the story.**


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